Tag Archives: curd

Other than liver of course… we all know how I feel about that one. But I mean really… some names of foods are rather strange and in some cases, can even be somewhat off putting if you don’t know what they are.

Take what you all know are two favorites of mine. Yes, you know what’s coming. Twinkies and Cheetos. Wth? Cheetos at least gives one some idea of what one is eating by the use of “chee” though I guess they couldn’t bring themselves to actually call it cheese since even I am willing to admit that God alone knows what kind of cheese would leave your fingers stained orange for 3 weeks. But Twinkies? What the hell is a Twink that they then turned it into a Twink”ie”?

Then of course we have the much maligned “Spotted Dick” which in actuality is really a steamed pudding. But here in the states, where we have completely bastardized the English language, it has become a name worthy of the type of giggling that five year olds do at fart jokes. And No, I do not laugh at fart jokes or at the name Spotted Dick… I don’t, I swear it!! *Giggles quietly remembering the last fart joke I heard as well as how my husband and I titter every time we go down the international foods aisle and see the can of Spotted Dick*. Let’s not forget the brand of bread that proudly goes by the name of “Bimbo Bread”. I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to buy that. I’m afraid there will be cameras filming me as proof of my bimboness.

This brings me to the recipe for today. Now let’s make sure we’re straight on something. I love a good curd, be it a citrus curd to spread on a scone, a yummy Wisconsin cheese curd to either eat plain or fry up and pop by the dozen into my waiting mouth or ye olde curds and whey, aka cottage cheese in these parts. But the word is rather….disconcerting. Maybe it’s just me though… heck, it probably IS just me 😛 But something about the word, especially in respect to this recipe, doesn’t do justice to what a yummy food (and kind of) curds can be. So without further ado, please put your hands together and give a warm welcome to todays special… CLEMENTINE CURD!!!

This is a very sweet curd. It doesn’t have the tang that lemon curd does so be aware that it will be sweet with a heavy orange essence, not tart. It’s great on scones or muffins, mixed with sour cream or whipped cream as a dessert topping or my favorite way, straight off of the spoon 😀 You can sub any other type of orange for this but if it’s a large one rather than tiny like Clementines are, only use 4 or so.

Clementine/Vanilla Curd

6 Clementines, zested

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

5 large eggs

1/2 cup of fresh squeezed Clementine juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the zest and sugar until the zest if finely ground and well combined with the sugar

Cream the butter and add the yummy smelling Clementine sugar. Mix until fluffy.

Add the eggs, then add the juice and vanilla. Don’t beat this for long; just until combined.

Pour into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and registers 175 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Don't worry about those drips on the edge. I...erhmmm... cleaned them up.

Yes, I know. that was really really bad. But admit it, you smiled a little as you groaned. And that is really all that’s important to me with this blog. If I can get just ONE person to maybe smile a little as they read my nonsensical posts, especially if they have had a bad day, then all the eye rolling and groaning is worth it. Because believe it or not, you only see the silly side of me in this blog. Well, usually. I guess I’m not being particularly silly right now. Other than the post title hehehe.

I think sometimes that people can a certain idea of what another is like and if that perception is challenged, they don’t like it. It’s rather a “stay in the box I put you in because it makes me nervous if you try and get out” sort of thing. And I’m not very good at being boxed. I tend to try to claw at the cardboard and make a mess or I bring really bad snacks into the box and it ends up smelling like old Cheetos.

I lost a handful of fans from my facebook page today. I can only guess it is because I brought up personal things on the page… i.e., left the box. I wasn’t silly Janet. I wasn’t cutting one liners or just talking about recipes. I was opening the box and letting you see the person inside of it; letting you see that I have worries and flaws and sometimes gets scared. Guess what? I’m human. I know the vast majority of you realize this. You’re the ones who have grown to care for me, silly jokes and all; sometimes serious and all, the same way I have grown to care for you and your lives.

But, contrary to urban myth and legend, I am a real person here on this side of the computer screen. I have bad days too. Mind you, I still tend to get through them with one liners and bad puns *glances at the post title* because that is simply my personality; laugh at things and you get through them… but every once in a while, the bad day wins. Today, it’s winning. Tomorrow, I’ll be fine and probably follow this post with one chock full of idiocy because I’ll be embarrassed at my openness. But, while I know there are many bloggers and readers that are going through worse than anything I have experienced, I’m still human. Today anyway.

Thanks for listening. Now, on to the recipe! I made home made Lemon Curd. It had been a while since I had and I was craving it. I like the jarred stuff but it just can’t measure up to home made. I used a different recipe. This one is from Ina Garten and I love it. BUT… and this is a big but (no, not a big BUTT; that would be MY butt.) I made a double batch and I’m not sure if that is what caused the following issue, but OMG, my back STILL hurts. The recipe says that this will take about ten minutes of cooking with constant stirring before it thickens. Logic dictates that double the volume would mean double the cooking time, especially if you use a large enough pot so that there is more surface area and less depth. Right? HA! My back is still killing me today because I stood over that stove for an hour and ten minutes before this got to temp and thickened lol. AN HOUR AND TEN MINUTES!! I wanted a back transplant when I was done :-P. That or a taller stove. But… I’m full of buts today… it was worth it. I added some vanilla to this and the end result is a lemon curd that is sweet and tart and delicate and has a slight almost floral essence from the vanilla. Doing a double batch, I ended up with two pints of the most delicious lemon curd to put in my fridge… and take back out and eat with a spoon cook with. THAT btw, will be happening later this week. I have a pie idea in mind that involves this curd, mascarpone cheese and all sorts of yummies. But for now; here’s the curd recipe. The regular recipe; not doubled.

Ina Gartens Lemon Curd

3 lemons

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temp

4 extra large eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Use a veggie peeler and cut the peel off of the lemons, making sure not to get any of the white pith. Put the zest and the sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the zest is very finely minced and mixed with the sugar.

Cream the butter in a large bowl and then add the sugar mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time and then add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt.

Pour into a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, which will happen at about 170 degrees. In theory this will take about ten minutes. In reality, who knows lol. The double batch took me over an hour and I even upped the heat to medium at one point. Make sure you have a hot beverage near you and the radio on for company 😛

One thing the recipe didn’t mention is straining this but if you don’t, you will have a LOT of teenie tiny bits of lemon zest in it and the mixture, while it still tastes fantastic, won’t be smooth and creamy. So I strongly suggest straining this through a fine mesh strainer ( I LOVE my strainer) by pouring about a cup or two in it (depends on the size of your strainer) and pushing it through with the back of a rubber spatula. Clean it after every time you finish with a cup or two or it will get clogged and take forever. But straining it like this is worth the little bit of extra effort it takes.

When strained, pour this into a covered container (I use canning jars) and store in the fridge.

Use on scones, biscuits, in recipes or just off the spoon hehe.

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